SPOTLIGHT: SD Fashion Education

Tim Gunn's chants of "Make it Work" and Rachel Zoe's "Bananas" and "I die" have become so mainstream that most of us feel like we know what happens in the fashion business (behind the scenes and otherwise). Shows like Project Runway and Fashion Star highlight curated design talent which appears to all hail from New York or Western Europe....every once in a while LA. The reality is that all major cities have specific fashion merchandising educational programs that produce this talent with one very special campus located in downtown San Diego, the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising...known to all insiders as FIDM (pronounced Fid-EM).

The award winning Clive Wilkinson designed campus is located in the East Village downtown SD and boasts a spectacular view of the Petco Park outfield. Interiors are state of the art from a tech and artistic point of view. From 60's inspired furnishings to pebble embedded floors, the space reads creative from the moment you walk in the door.

Not a bad place to study Fashion Design, Product Development, Merchandise Marketing or a variety of other majors offered at this college. The campus opens its doors and hosts a variety of events and workshops open to the public throughout the year. From "Blogging Basics" to "Sew Like a Designer", this is the chance to explore the fashion business up close and personal. Make sure and take advantage of one of these opportunities if you get the chance.

So what about San Diego not being fashionable?? I say fashion is what we personally define it as...not a page ripped from Vogue or a reality TV slant on what we should wear. San Diego defines its own style which is supported by the fashion that makes sense for our lifestyle. Judging by the talent being cultivated at FIDM, the 8th largest city in the US most certainly has something to look forward to.